Splatterhouse
by Insanity-Plus
Summary: Laying face first in a pool of blood, Ichigo makes a deal with a mysterious Mask in order to save the life of his girlfriend. IchiRuki. Based off of the video game SPLATTERHOUSE for XBOX 360. R&R!


**I am back with another one-shot! I know I should be working on _Afflicted_ or the stories on my main account but I've been so submerged in my personal settings that I haven't been able to get much of it done. BUT! I have gotten this done after months of working on it!**

**Now, though, I must explain something. I wrote this based on the extremely awesome video game _Splatterhouse_, but this story diverges away from that plot line by a whole lot after the beginning. The basis idea is the same, but as you'll see, it's gonna be very different. **

**Also! This is dedicated to my awesome friend Mels! We're in a 'gift-giving' war and I'm gonna trump her with this and something else! Honestly I started writing this a while ago and showed her the first two pages and she said she loved and wanted it finished. But I didn't know what to do at the time so I gave up. BUT! Since she wanted it and I forced myself to come with an idea and here we are! HOPE YA LIKE MELS!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters associated with the Anime/Manga. They belong to Tite Kubo. Nor do I own Splatterhouse the video game. Please support the official release. **

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><p><em>Make a wish? Okay. I want us to be together until the end of the world.<em>

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><p>His clawed feet were loud on the wooden floors as he sped through the halls of the strange, hellish mansion. He pumped his legs as hard as he could, running down the hall with an angry frown on his face- though, it wouldn't be visible through the grotesque mask he wore.<p>

He crashed through a door, stepping in and scanning it with his discolored eyes and hissing as it was empty save for the wreckage of furniture and torn books on the floor. He growled, turned and raced back down the hall in search of the two people he had been fighting to see for what felt like ever.

Up ahead was a group of creatures with gray skin and claws, all wearing white masks and nibbling on what looked to be severed human limbs. They drank the blood, letting it stain their faces and torsos, laughing a disgusting jungle as they danced and ate.

_**Kill them! Kill them!**_

With a howl he lunged, his clawed fingers tearing into the flesh of the closest one, ripping it apart into a gory mess on the floor. It's brothers all squealed and moved to attack, but he was faster and stronger, and tore them all into bloody shreds in a matter of minutes.

_**Marvelous!**_ The voice in his head cackled as blood dripped from the tips of his claws.

Running yet again, he couldn't help but remember what had led him to such a terrible situation.

–

_**Bleach: SPLATTERHOUSE**_

–

"_Why are we going again?" Ichigo asked as he and his long time girlfriend Rukia walked along the deserted forest path. It was night, the area shrouded in darkness and full of an eerie silence that sent chills down the college student's spine. _

"_Because Professor Aizen hand picked me to personally interview him for the Karakura school newspaper!" Rukia replied, smiling brightly as she readjusted the bag over her shoulder and walking closely next to her boyfriend, slightly scared of the creepy forest. _

_Ichigo shook his head, his orange hair brushing over his forehead as he stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets, feeling with his fingers the object in his left pocket. "Just seems weird he'd ask for you to come to his house rather than just do it on campus." He remarked, scowling fiercely. _

_Rukia sighed, walking ahead of Ichigo as she crossed her arms over the front of her tight black T. "It doesn't matter if it's weird or not, it's an honor! No one has been able to speak with him outside of his necrobiology class ever before and the simple fact he's letting someone interview him is astounding." She said, tossing her head back and forth as she mulled over her thoughts, her raven hair swaying back and forth about her shoulders. "I just wonder why he chose me of all people to interview him." She wondered._

_Ichigo watched closely her tight, round ass as she walked. "I can think of a few things..." _

_Suddenly, Rukia spun around and took a snapshot of Ichigo's deep frown. His eyes widened in shock as she giggled and brought up the digital camera for him to see. "There! Yet another to add to my collection." She said, stuffing the camera back into her bag. "If only I could get one without that damn scowl on your face." She grinned at him. _

"_It could happen," He quipped, chuckling at his girlfriend's antics. _

_They walked along the forest path closely next to one another, paying attention to the road ahead rather than the foreboding trees around them. They came out on a gravel pathway that led up to a large mansion shrouded in blackness and stood tall with murky walls and cracked windows. A fountain stood in the middle of the gravel land, large and void of any water what-so-ever._

"_Who designed this place, Edgar Allen Poe?" Ichigo said, scanning the area warily. _

"_What, you scared?" Rukia teased, smirking at him. _

"_No, just looks like a setting for a horror flick." He said, scratching the back of his neck. The little hairs were standing to attention, his skin prickling as if from fear. _

_I have a bad feeling about this..._

"_Suck it up you big baby!" She laughed, walking ahead towards the large oak door. They ascended the steps, walking up and knocking on the door. A few seconds passed, and no answer came. "Professor Sousuke? Are you home?" Rukia called, pushing on the door to find it unlocked and slight ajar. She frowned, pushing it all the way open. _

"_That's just odd." Ichigo commented, watching as the door gave a loud groan as it swung open, revealing the extravagantly decorative foyer that basked in light that came from a crystal chandelier high above. "Where is he?" _

"_I don't know..." She said, taking a few steps inside. _

"_Rukia!" Ichigo called. "We can't just walk in unannounced! That's trespassing!" _

"_Stop being so whiny, Ichigo." She scoffed, ignoring him and walking further into the bright living space. It was clean looking, with decorative items on display along the bottom floor. Above was a staircase leading to a second floor, doors lining the top level leading to different parts of the mansion. Along the walls were paintings of all kinds with names from different countries, all beautiful and perfectly painted by masters of the art. "This place is gorgeous!" She gushed. _

"_Guy must be loaded." He said, looking over an odd sarcophagus. It was white all over, with greenish blue lining and two little black and yellow dots on the head as if the eyes. He frowned, looking back to the raven haired girl. "The college can't be paying him this much for teaching a single class." _

"_Another question to ask of him." Rukia chimed, taking out her notebook and scribbling down something that Ichigo didn't care much for. "Professor Sousuke! Are you here?" She called out again once she placed away her notepad. "It's me! Rukia Kuchiki! The student you asked to-" _

"_I know perfectly well who you are, Ms. Kuchiki." A voice called from above. The two turned to find an older man with tousled brown hair and wide brimmed glasses standing atop the second floor looking down at them. "Welcome to my home." He said, smiling politely, his eyes fixating on Rukia. _

"_Oh, Professor, I'm sorry we just walked in like that but no one answered." Rukia said, flushing in embarrassment. _

"_Please, call me Aizen." The teacher said, walking along the railing towards the spiraling stairs. "My apologies, I had not heard the door being knocked on. I was deep in study." He descended the stairs, his eyes finally landing on the orange haired boy next to Rukia. "And, who, if I may ask, are you young man?" He rose a brow, scanning over the physique of the male student. _

"_Ichigo Kurosaki, sir." He nodded to the teacher. Ichigo did not take the man's class, and it was only understandable that he didn't know who he was. "Rukia's boyfriend, here to make sure she's fine." _

_Rukia shot him a look as if he had said something wrong. He caught her look and frowned, confused by such a hostile stare. _

"_Splendid." Aizen said, smiling yet again at the male. "It's good to have someone around to make sure no harm befalls our precious Kuchiki-san here." _

_Rukia blushed, ticking Ichigo off at such a reaction. _

"_Should we begin the interview?" The Professor inquired with a tilt of his head. _

_Rukia snapped out of her reverie and nodded. "Of course. Wherever you may like, Professor." She said. _

_He smiled, wide and delightful. "Excellent. If you may permit me a few moments, I shall clear my study a bit to make it suitable for our needs for the evening. Is it alright with you if you waited a minute right here?" _

"_No problem at all." She waved her hand in front of her face, returning his smile. _

_Aizen nodded, glancing at Ichigo before turning and walking back up the stairs and through the third door in on the far left. Once he was gone, Ichigo ran a hand through his orange locks and looked at Rukia with a scowl. _

"_He's a bit of a creeper." He said. _

"_Geez Ichigo, you don't have to be so rude to the man." She scolded, rounding on him with her hands on her hips. "He's being so polite and you're just so damn rude." She accused. _

"_What? How am I being rude?" He asked, aghast. _

"_Ugh, you're impossible." She groaned, shaking her head and walking further along towards the sarcophagus. _

_Ichigo bit his lip, again fingering the object in his pocket. It wasn't the best of times for this, but he was growing antsy and he figured now was better than never. _

"_Hey, Rukia, I want to ask you something really important." He said, walking closer to her as she inspected the white body-shaped capsule. _

"_What is it, Ichigo?" She turned to him, staring with her bright, beautiful violet eyes as he fished in his pocket and brought up the little black box. She gasped, her eyes widening and her hands flying to cover her mouth as she recognized the box in his hand. _

"_Rukia Kuchiki," He started, opening the box to reveal a stunningly beautiful diamond ring. "Will you marry me?" He asked, his heart pounding rapidly. _

"_Oh, Ichigo!" Rukia smiled brightly, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed over the ring. "Of course I will-" _

_Her answer was cut short as a loud crashing sound came form the second level, splinters from a door falling over the edge and raining down on top of them as something stomped its way down the stairs and lunged at them at speeds they couldn't comprehend. The thing came, knocking Ichigo away and grabbing Rukia as she shrieked in terror. _

"_What the hell?" Ichigo yelled, slamming hard to the ground as the thing grabbed her. He looked up, his eyes widening as what he saw could not be real. _

_It was a monster- a demon from hell- with gray oily skin and a white snout that snarled as its talons latched onto Rukia's arm. It turned, black holes for eyes staring down at him with an aura of contempt and hunger. It heaved, a nasty sound verging between a snort and a gasp, and opened it's mouth to show rows of terrible teeth that dripped with saliva. _

"_Oh...oh my God..." He stared into its black eyes; the sensation of falling taking over his body. _

"_Let me go!" Rukia cried, struggling in the grasp of the creature. It turned back to her, growling as it held her tighter, making her yelp in pain as it tugged on her arm. _

"_No!" Ichigo caught his bearings and charged at the thing, ramming his body hard against the thing in an attempt to knock it over. But the thing didn't even budge, and just howled in anger as the orange haired boy attacked it. _

_It swung its arm, talons racking against the side of Ichigo's neck to tear open the skin and spurt blood into the air as his body spun like a top to the floor. He yelled in pain, his vision turning red as the blood dripped to the floor and splattered his face. _

"_Ichigo!" He heard her again cry. He winced as he forced himself up, turning as blood oozed down the front of his shirt and pants, his bag having fell uselessly to the floor from the first swing. _

"_Let her go you disgusting mother-" Ichigo was cut short as the beast sent its arm forward, clasping its talons together and spearing the boy directly in the chest, ripping through the shirt and stabbing deep into his chest to the heart. _

_Rukia gasped and screamed, watching as blood fell from his mouth and dripped down his chin. The beast pulled back with a grunt, Ichigo's body jerking forward as the monster shirked away, dragging Rukia along with it. _

"_N-no...no..." Ichigo coughed, the metallic taste of blood strong in his numbing mouth. He couldn't even feel the pain anymore, for it was nothing more than a dull ache in his chest. The sound of his heart was loud, growing faster and faster until it started to slow; each beat becoming more and more prominent than the last. _

"_Ichigo! No!" Rukia struggled to reach her dying boyfriend, who fell forward and crashed against the sarcophagus, knocking it over and falling down to the ground next to it as the lid opened and something fell out. "No!" She cried, tears falling down her face as she was dragged away. _

_Gurgling and coughing, Ichigo fought to stay awake as he lay in a growing pool of his own blood. His eyes fluttered, his vision blurring as his face paled and his senses grew dull. He groaned, lifting his head slightly as he watched Rukia disappear from his line of sight up the stairway alongside the creature that had attacked them. _

"_No..." He whispered, his blood stained hand lifting after them as if he could grab them. He coughed violently, his body shaking as his hand fell back to the floor limply, splashing in his own blood. "Rukia...I'm sorry..."_

_Dropping his head to the bloodied ground he closed his eyes, unable to keep them open much longer. The darkness was ebbing away at his mind, his soul drifting away as he continuously lost blood. With a mute sob he let himself fall, unable to fight any longer..._

_**Well, seems we've got a bit of an issue, huh?**_

_Ichigo's eyes flew open, suddenly full of energy as he searched for the owner of the voice. _

_**Lost your girl, Ichigo?**_

"_W-who's there...?" He called out weakly, coughing and looking around with his brown eyes. _

_**You seem to be losing quite a lot, Ichigo. Lost your girl, lost your dream of marriage, losing a lot of blood, and most of all...lost your life.**_

_Ichigo's eyes widened as he spotted something sitting right in front of him. _

_**Everything has been taken from you, except for your soul...and now that belongs to me.**_

_Propped up on its side was a pure white mask, red tribal markings running down both sides of its face to its long pointed chin. It exuded an air of ominousness; the holes where the eyes would go under the mask looking directly at him as if there were already eyes there. _

_Ichigo's blurry vision cleared the moment he spotted the evil looking mask laying on its side. With a groan, he forced himself upwards to crawl through the blood towards the mask, feeling drawn to it somehow, as if it called to him..._

"_Who...are you?" He asked, fighting against the pain to crawl inch by terrible inch towards the mask. _

_**Who am I? That's a dumb question, because I don't have a name. But think of me as God; your God...least the only God that's listening right now. **_

"_Ack..." Ichigo convulsed as he vomited more blood, feeling the beating of his heart slow to nothing more than a tiny prick in the hole of his chest. _

_**You need me, Ichigo. Put me on and I will help you. **_

"_N-no..." He wheezed. "I...don't know...you..."_

_**Oh, c'mon boy. You **_**do****_ need me, because without me...you're fucked._**

"_Aaah..." He moaned. _

_**She doesn't have to die...**_

_Ichigo looked up to the mask, clenching his teeth together as he struggled to grab the mask and pull it to him. He rolled over onto his back, panting as the pain was starting to become too much for his cold, numb body. _

_**I can help you; I can heal your wounds. I can help you save your precious girl, if you just put me on!**_

_Ichigo held up the mask in the light, staring with dull, hazed brown eyes the two eye sockets. He felt as if looking into the gaze of someone else, someone who was dark and sadistic. He was about to drop the mask, the strength in his arms failing him, when suddenly he thought of Rukia being dragged away by that beast. He frowned, holding up the mask yet again and turning it around, lowering it to his face. _

_**There ya go...**_

_Ichigo lowered the mask down onto his face, closing his eyes and letting it touch it engulf him in brief darkness..._

–

_**Bleach: SPLATTERHOUSE**_

–

_Ichigo screamed in agony as he flailed about, splashing around in the blood on the floor as every bone remolded and every muscle tore open and reformed. His arms bent, snapping at the joints and twisting the wrong way as his legs did the same, his ribs breaking and protruding out against the skin of his torso as they grew and hardened. With a choked plea for help, he fell over onto his hands and knees and felt his gray hoodie rip off as the Mask chuckled in his mind. _

_**Quit yer whining. You think this was going to be**_** fun****_? _**

_Writhing on the floor, Ichigo's hand flew to the mask in an attempt to pry it off to end this horrible suffering, but before he could even come close to touching it his knuckles exploded in white hot pain as his skin grew pale and out from his fingertips came long talon-like claws that ripped through the skin and dripped with his own blood. He screamed, staring at the claws as his eyes glowed gold and his sclera faded black. _

"What's happening to me?_" He yelled, horns growing out of the mask and new black tribal markings stretching across his body around the hole in his chest and about his head. He held his face, feeling the mouth of the mask open and work according to the sounds he made. His jeans ripped, the muscles of his torso, arms and legs bulging and solidifying. _

_Falling to the floor, he sucked in short, quick breaths as the pain finally ended and he was left this disfigured monster. He stood, feeling taller and wider than he had before, and gazed down with black and yellow eyes his white skin and claws that protruded from his hands and his feet. He felt his face, the smooth plane of the mask embedded with black markings that ran down over his eyes and teeth. _

"_What...what did you do to me? What am I?" He yelled, his voice different. It was echoed in a rasp, demonic sounding with only a hint of his former voice. "What am I?" _

_**You're mine Ichigo.** The voice said in his head, laughing maniacally. **Say hello to your new form- **_**my****_ form._**

"_Ack..." Ichigo groaned, taking a few steps forward as the blood on the floor glowed bright and floated into the air, seeping back into the hole in his chest to replenish his body with energy. He felt strong, stronger than he had ever been in his entire life. _

_**Feels good, doesn't it? All this power...all at your fingertips. **_

"_Who are you?" Ichigo asked forcefully, clenching his fists as he looked around the foyer, anger building as he remembered the beast taking away the love of his life. _

_**Well since we'll be working together on this little adventure I'll give a little introduction of who- or what I am.** The voice said, Ichigo listening intently as it continued to speak. **Have you ever wondered at night when you close yer eyes that something will appear right in front of you when you open them again? Well, I'm that something.**_

"_Jesus..." Ichigo groaned, running his fingers over the hole in his chest. He felt no pain from it, nor did he even feel anything there unless he actually touched the skin around it. He turned his head, finding a long mane of orange hair flowing straight down to his waistline. "What do you want from me?"_

_**A little freedom...I've been cooped up for so many years all I want now is to fuckin' kill something!**_

_Ichigo listened as the voice cackled, the sound vibrating his skull. He frowned from beneath the mask, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at the splinters on the floor. The memory flashed before his eyes of the beast taking away Rukia yet again and he growled. "Where is she?" _

_**Aizen took her.**_

"_Aizen?" He echoed, shocked. _

_**What are you a parakeet? Yes, Aizen! The sneaky bastard has her and is probably having his way with her right now!**_

"Ragh!_" Ichigo roared in anger, the sound booming against the walls as his voice turned monstrous. _

_**Let's go find him, Ichigo, and tear his fuckin' throat out!**_

–

_**Bleach: SPLATTERHOUSE**_

–

Ichigo had fought his way through the twisted mansion, running into hundreds of those creatures, some just as big as the one who took his Rukia away from him, some smaller, and some much bigger. It didn't matter how big they were though, for the now transformed Ichigo Kurosaki used his own hands to kill them all.

_**You know you love it, Ichigo my boy!**_

What was scary was that the Mask was right.

He ran along the hall into the last room, crashing through the door and stopping to inspect the area. It was large, the walls coated in what appeared to be pulsing flesh and oozing black blood. This house was a monster itself, rumbling and bleeding as if alive. The Mask said it was because the house was fused with a demonic portal, causing it to become part of hell itself.

On the other side of the room, Aizen had Rukia by the throat, grinning madly with his glasses gone and his hair frayed as she struggled against him, punching him in the face and gripping his wrist with a choked gurgle.

"Let her go!" Ichigo roared, the mask opening wide as his voice boomed all through the large room.

Both Aizen and Rukia turned to him, her eyes wide with fear and shock as she spotted the orange haired demon standing by the doors. "What's going on?" She cried, struggling still against the man holding her. "What is that thing?"

Aizen stared down the creature for a moment, then gave a wide smile of knowing. "Oh, it seems your boyfriend met an old friend of mine." He said.

"What?" Rukia turned to look at Aizen, then back to the thing. "I-Ichigo...?"

"Rukia!" He called out. "I'm here to rescue you!" He said, lowering his head to point his horns at Aizen. "And to kill that bastard for what he has done!"

_**Be careful Ichigo. You don't want to hurt your girl now do you?**_ The voice of the Mask said.

Ichigo growled in frustration and glared at Aizen, baring his scissor hands at him in threat.

"It is only befitting that we have an audience for this marvel." The brown haired man said, turning his attention back to Rukia. "We've been waiting long enough for this, haven't we my dear?" He gave a smile, and she whimpered in fear.

"Please...just let me go..." She cried, tears running hot down her cheeks.

"You heard her you bastard!" Ichigo yelled, charging forward with his powerful legs and swiping his claws at the man in a blur. But Aizen was prepared for such an attack, and snapped his fingers to alert the legion of monsters he had hiding in the flesh of the walls. They came out, darting at Ichigo like flies to a bug-zapper and blocking his view of Aizen and Rukia.

"Ichigo!" Rukia watched as the deformed Ichigo Kurosaki tore his fingers into the flesh of one of the monsters, ripping it off and slamming it hard to the ground by the throat. Ichigo gave a throaty howl and latched onto the beast's neck, squeezing so it would gurgle. He dug his claws into the skin, and with a quick yank tore it's throat out.

The blood splashed him in the face, staining the white mask. He stood and growled, turning just as another one of them came from behind. But Ichigo caught it with a right hook, sending it back to the floor with a painful _thud_. He picked up his hooked foot and crushed the monster's skull, blood and brains flying about into the air as the creature's head was obliterated.

As Ichigo fought the creatures, Aizen held Rukia tightly in his arms. She sobbed, weakly trying to break free. She hit him in the chin, making him chuckle darkly in amusement.

"It is time we preformed the procedure." Aizen said, taking Rukia by the throat and lifting her up as she coughed and wheezed beneath his strong grip. He held her up high enough for her chest to be directly in his face. He smirked, his eyes wild and his fingers shaking as he anticipated what was to come.

"P-please..." She pleaded yet again. "Just...leave me alone..."

"Oh, my dear." The man said, a sadistic smile on his face. "I will, once I have what it is you've been keeping." He said, raising his free hand to touch her chest. She whimpered, his hand feeling around at her breasts, painfully squeezing them and touching the center of her chest where he could feel her heart beating.

_**Trouble, Ichigo!**_

Ichigo turned from the gory mess before him and watched as Aizen cocked his elbow back, his hand open and his fingers pointing at Rukia's chest.

"No!" Ichigo roared, charging.

"Mine." Aizen said just before plunging his hand deep into Rukia's chest. She gave a shrill scream of pain, her legs kicking at Aizen's stomach as she writhed and tried to fight his grasp. Blood dripped down his forearm, falling to the floor and oozing out from the wound from her chest.

The second he caught a whiff of her blood, Ichigo's eyes darkened and the mask on his face opened wide as he gave a loud roar of pure rage. He raced towards the man, his fingers aching to tear him to shreds.

Just as he was about to reach out and tear off Aizen's head another one of the creatures jumped onto his back and yanked at his head, its fingers scratching at his neck. Ichigo howled, stopping and trying to reach to pull off the monster, flying about as he tried to get a hold of it.

Rukia gave a gurgle, staring down in horror at the wound. The energy was drained right out of her, her body going numb and her skin turning pale. She coughed, a spurt of blood flying and staining Aizen's face. The man just grinned and licked the blood from his lips.

"I finally have it." He said lowly, only for Rukia to hear. She stared into his eyes, staring into the madness and darkness that resided within the man. She lurched, vomiting on his shirt and convulsing in a fit of shivers. She tried to speak, tried to call for Ichigo, but all that came out was a pained moan.

"So many years," Aizen went on, his fingers moving about inside of her, intensifying the pain as she hung limp in his grasp. He gave a triumphant grunt as he found something inside of her chest, his fingers caressing it before gripping it and yanking it free, blood stringing from her chest to his hand as he lifted it up and gazed over the object between his fingers.

Ichigo heard the sound of Aizen pulling his hand free and looked to see Rukia growing paler and paler by the second, the hole in her chest wide and deep. Blood stained her shirt, falling to the floor in geysers that shone in the light of the room. He watched the light drain from her eyes, her lips quivering like leaves as she gasped for a breath but failed.

Aizen dropped her, her body hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. She made no further movement, her back to Ichigo as he stared in muted horror as the love of his life died right before his eyes.

"At long last..." Aizen held up what looked to be a crystal with a bluish-purple energy wafting about in small circles within the clear casing it resided in. It pulsed at his touch, his body shivering in anticipation as he stared deeply into the energy as if lovingly.

_**What the fuck...Dammit! Stop that shitty bastard!**_

Ichigo did nothing as he stared at the prone form of Rukia Kuchiki on the floor, a growing pool of blood forming around her. The monster was still clawing at his neck, and it hurt like hell, but he didn't care. All he could see was Rukia...

_**He killed her Ichigo...**_

The Mask's voice seemed different now- more sympathetic. It gave a gruff grunt and Ichigo was suddenly full of such contempt and hatred that his head swam and his eyes glowed. He felt his whole body burn, his mind short-circuiting as he raised his head and roared louder than ever before.

_**Fuck that bitch up!**_

"_Bastarrrrrrrrd!_" Ichigo growled. In one swift motion he forced his arms back, nearly breaking his shoulder joints, and grabbed the monster that had continuously cut at his neck and back. He gripped it's head and yanked it forward, pulling it over his own head to hold it in front of his masked face.

The creature saw the look in Ichigo's black eyes and began to squeal like an injured pig, fighting to break free of the monstrous man's grasp. His hold did not budge, and his anger grew by the second. He began to squeeze the creature's head, it's skull cracking and breaking as he applied pressure.

The beast gave one last screech before Ichigo crushed it's head in his hands; the blood splattering across the floor and along his torso. The body fell to the floor, twitching as the last vestiges of life drained from it.

This did not satisfy Ichigo's new found blood lust. He turned to Aizen, who still was staring at the object, and yelled out as he charged.

Aizen smiled warmly as he finally placed the orb on his chest. He waited patiently as it began to glow and phase through his clothing and under the skin to enter him. He gave a sigh of content and felt the energy flow through his veins.

Ichigo came upon Aizen and cocked back his arm to slice off his head. Just as his claws were about to touch skin an explosion of light and energy sent Ichigo flying backwards, his body flying through the air as the energy spread out across the room. It stained the walls, flooded the floors, and engulfed the air like a net catching a bug. The light twisted and turned purple, neon colors swimming within the purple, darting around like fish in a pond.

Ichigo felt the energy surround him and could feel his heart race as the sense of danger followed closely behind the energy. "What is this?" He ground out as he pushed himself up, his eyes scanning the area for Aizen and for Rukia.

_**You suck at stopping him from doing stuff ya know that?**_ The Mask taunted. **_He has the damn Hogyoku!_**

"What the hell is that?" Ichigo questioned, standing and searching for Aizen. He and Rukia were both gone as the light pulsed and raced all around him. The sensation of being thrown around was strong, and for a moment he felt sick. "Why was it inside of Rukia?"

_**I was wonderin' why Aizen wanted her... **_The Mask said, making Ichigo snarl at it's lack of explanation. **_Oh, keep your panties on kid. Yer little girl there was the holder for the Hogyoku, a little ball that pretty much jacks you up on demonic energy. Probably the most dangerous item in all of existence._**

Ichigo took a few attentive steps forwards towards where he remembered Rukia's body to be. He wanted to find her and make sure she was fine. There may still be a chance she was alive...

"What do you mean she was the holder?"

_**Ugh...for a minute could you not ask questions and just fuckin' kill something?**_

"Answer me you shithead!"

_**Fine! The Hogyoku is so powerful they put it inside of a human vessel to keep it safe from greedy little hands. Demons wouldn't be able to find it because it'd be inside a human and would switch every lifetime, which to one of them is nothing more than a poke to the skin. **_

"So Rukia was the one who was holding it this time around?"

_**Did I not just say this? Yes! She was chosen by total coincidence, and apparently was the unlucky one to get caught after like two thousand years.**_

"Unlucky?" Ichigo bellowed. "You mean that this whole thing is happening because we're _unlucky?_"

_**Damn right. Should have been wearing a rabbit's foot. You could try and find one of those little critters and carry it's dismembered foot for luck.**_

"_This wasn't her fault!_" Ichigo roared, ignoring The Mask as his anger reached new heights. "_She is probably dead and it wasn't even her fucking fault that this happened!_"

_**Oh yeah Ichigo. She hadn't even a clue that she carried that damn thing. There was no ritual as a child, no selection program nor was there even any signs that it was there within her body. She was an innocent, and now she pays for someone else's price!**_

"_I WILL KILL THEM ALL!_" Ichigo screeched.

_**Oooohhh! Yer anger and blood lust is giving me a huge hard-on!**_

"Come out here, Aizen you bastard!" Ichigo yelled, his fists clenched and the lips of the mask opened in a hiss. "Fight me like a damn man!"

"That's asking a lot," A voice said from all around him. Ichigo turned in circles, searching for the owner of that strange new voice he hadn't heard before. "since neither you nor I are men anymore."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Ichigo growled. "Just come fight me! I will rip your guts out!"

"The Mask has influenced you greatly." The voice said again, the purple haze all around him shifting more rapidly than before as it converged into a single point. It seeped into that point, a glowing white orb forming as it absorbed the energy, and took shape around the orb into the shape of a man.

"What...?"

"Though that's to be expected," The figure moved, and took shape. "The Mask is a powerful being who can reach into the darkest recesses of your mind and bring forth your most evil desires to preform such disgusting deeds."

"What the hell?" Ichigo's jaw felt unhinged as he stared at the man standing before him.

_**Aizen got a makeover!**_

Standing before Ichigo was a man covered from head to toe in a white form-fitting cloak, his face and body all hidden behind that white cocoon. His eyes and the orb were all that were visible on the canvass of the cloak.

"You like my chrysalis form?" Aizen said, a smile in his voice. He raised his hands, showing off the body he now donned. "I feel so alive, it's truly amazing. The Hogyoku is such a wonderful thing..." He said, letting his white fingers tenderly touch his chest- right where the orb was.

"What's happening?" Ichigo said, shocked by the transformation. He could feel the energy pulsing from Aizen, more sinister than anything he had ever come across. "What have you done to yourself?"

Aizen's distorted eyes glanced Ichigo and his head tilted as if he were smiling. "I am transforming into the Hogyoku's intended for me. I will become a God, thanks to this little thing." He said, again indicating the orb in his chest. "But I am not complete, I still have to let the Hogyoku work its magic."

_**You have to kill him before it takes over! He'll be too much for just you!**_ The Mask screamed in his head.

Ichigo growled, rearing back and charging yet again. He didn't waste any words as he sped towards Aizen, lashing out with his claws to take a good chunk out of his cheek, cracking it like the shell of an egg. No blood was drawn, and within the gashes was just more of the white sheet, as if Aizen's very insides were nothing more than the white shell.

"Cute," Aizen lifted his hand, smacking Ichigo hard across the face. He flew through the air, slamming into the wall with his shoulder taking most of the impact. He groaned, falling to the floor and scrambling to reach his balance.

"Please, if you may," Aizen said, not giving attention to the gashes on his face. "I would like for you not to interrupt my metamorphosis. It's an inconvenience." He said.

Ichigo stood on his hands and knees, glaring up at the man. "Well too fucking bad." He growled, pushing off the ground to again rush the man.

"This is getting pathetic." Aizen said, flicking his wrist to send Ichigo across the room again.

_**Yer getting tossed around like a goddamn rag doll! Quit yer dick suckin' and kill this shithead!**_

Pushing himself up onto his hands and knees, Ichigo panted as he tried to regain his composure. Those hits hurt, badly, and he was feeling their effect as a pain pounding the side of his face. He stared at the ground, sucking in breath after breath as he imagined his human form doused in sweat. He heard a cracking sound, and stared in horror as a piece of the mask fell to the floor below him.

_**Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!**_

"What's..." Ichigo watched as more chips fell, his strength draining with each piece. "What's happening to me...?"

"The Mask is falling apart." Aizen said, now standing above Ichigo, the four coat-tails that flowed about his feet swishing in the air. Ichigo looked up at him, the crack running through the eye-socket of the mask. "My power is too much for you and your little friend to handle. The mask you're wearing is breaking under the pressure of my power." His tone was amused, his eyes turned up in a light smile.

"Bastard..." Ichigo growled, his eyes glowing angrily. "Why are you doing this to us?"

A light formed in Aizen's eyes, his amusement growing. "Why? Well, it's nothing personal, I can say that." He said, taking a step backwards. "I needed the Hogyoku to become what I needed to be to fulfill my goals. It just so happens that you two were in my way."

"What goals?" Ichigo was on his feet in a heartbeat, swinging his claws at Aizen in an attempt to behead the man.

"This is getting old." Ichigo's attacks were met with resistance as in the blink of an eye Aizen had his arms in an iron grip. "I could kill you right now, but that'd be too easy." He took Ichigo by the forearm and with speed that matched lightning threw him over his shoulder and across the room yet again.

Ichigo slammed hard into the wall, falling on his side in a heap of groans and more chipped pieces of his mask.

_**Ichigo, seriously do something! I'm witherin' away here!**_

Ichigo fought to catch balance as he stood back up on his feet, glaring hard at the man on the other side of the room. "You didn't answer my question..." He said between pants. "What goals are you trying to achieve?"

Aizen chuckled darkly. "You're persistent. Fine, I will tell you." He suddenly was in front of Ichigo, his afterimage fallowing after him in multicolored lighting. Ichigo yelped and stepped back, preparing for another attack.

_**Hurry and kill him you fuckin' idiot!**_

"This orb here," Aizen began, touching the Hogyoku in his chest once more. "will be my key to unlocking Godhood. With it, humans and demons alike will bow to me and my might, never straying from the path I set for them. With this orb- the Hogyoku- I will become...God."

Ichigo stared at the man with wide eyes. "God...?" He echoed. "You're trying to become God?"

"Indeed," Aizen said, his eyes trailing downwards. "I will kill you, Ichigo Kurosaki, but not just yet. I want to prove my power to not only you but to myself as well. So, while we wait for my final transformation, I will allow you some entertainment."

"The hell does that mean?" Ichigo snarled, rearing back for another attack.

"You truly are a hot-headed one," Aizen said, a chuckle following his words. "Have you not learned your attacks don't effect me?"

"I can try!" Ichigo jabbed his claws forward, aiming for the orb in the man's chest. But before he could grab it, Aizen's hand shot up and caught his wrist, jerking it to the side to make him yelp and fall to his knees in pain.

"You didn't let me finish," Aizen said, holding firm Ichigo's wrist. "We have some time to kill while my transformation progresses. So, while we wait, I will allow you to entertain me."

"What kind of 'entertainment'?" Ichigo panted, whimpering under Aizen's powerful grip.

_**What a fuckin' pansy!**_

"Shut up..." Ichigo said to The Mask.

"Oh?" Aizen grinned. "It's talking to you right now, isn't it?" He said.

"What kind of entertainment are you talking about!" Ichigo roared, tired of this man's taunting.

Aizen chuckled. A silence fell for a moment, and Ichigo was about to yell out once more but Aizen yanked him hard around to grab the back of his neck and push him to the ground. Ichigo groaned, shutting his eyes as the floor met his masked face. He felt his brains rattle in his skull, and had to fight to clear his vision.

He wished he hadn't. For when he could see again the first thing to fill up his sight was Rukia's immobile body.

"_Rukia!_" Ichigo cried, his eyes widening as he looked into the pale face of his dead girlfriend. Her once beautiful violet eyes were shallow, soulless and nearly white. The blood had stained all through her clothing and matted in her hair. Her mouth was parted open, a dribble of spit and blood falling from between her lips.

He began to hyperventilate at the sight of her dead body, the hole in her chest wide and open. He could almost see her heart- still and lifeless.

"No..." Ichigo felt a tear fall down the mask's surface, his whole body trembling.

"Is she the woman you truly love?" Aizen asked him, still holding his head down to stare at the body. When Ichigo tried to look away, Aizen forced him back to her. "Do you want her back?"

Ichigo did nothing but sob for a minute, his sorrow great and unyielding. "Yes..." He choked after the silence. What other answer could he give? "I want her back..."

"Then I shall give her back to you." Aizen said, letting go of Ichigo's head and stepping back and snap his fingers.

Suddenly the room was engulfed in that familiar purple aura with neon lights flashing. Ichigo looked all around him, knelling on the floor by Rukia's dead body as he watched Aizen lift his hand and reach into the energy to pull forth one of the many neon colors. It was a chalky white, with a black dot in the middle that swished as if under water. Aizen held it up between his index finger and thumb and stared into the small ball of light.

_**What's he playing at?**_

"I will bring her back," Aizen said, turning to look down at her body. He let go of the light, and it floated towards Rukia, sinking into the open hole in her chest to illuminate her whole body. "But you may not like how she returns."

Ichigo watched as the light spread over her body, burning bright like a fire as Rukia twitched and fidgeted.

"Rukia!" Ichigo called, moving to her side as she gasped and jerked upwards as her wound healed right before his eyes. "Rukia! Can you hear me?" He pulled her up into his arms, holding her shivering body as she gasped for breath.

"She has tasted death," Aizen said from somewhere behind Ichigo. "So, I bestow upon her the soul of a _Shinigami_."

Ichigo was confused, and was about to ask what that meant for the hundredth when suddenly The Mask cried out in panic and Rukia made a sound that drew his attention away from both Aizen and The Mask. She cracked open an eye, then the other, and Ichigo's breath hitched when he caught sight of those normally beautiful violet orbs.

They were pure black. All over.

Those black holes focused on him for a moment, his shock stunning him in place, before she let loose a shrill scream that rocked the whole room. He groaned, covering his ears and shutting his eyes tight as she continued to scream.

The next moment her hands were on his chest, pushing him hard away from her. He fell, gasping as he watched her stand unevenly with droplets of blood still falling from her hair and clothing. She groaned loudly, ripping open her shirt to throw it to the ground. She breathed in, and let out a purple steam from between her lips with the exhale.

"R-Rukia?" Ichigo said, staring with wide, horror-filled eyes.

_**She's possessed you moron!** _The Mask yelled in his head. _**A **_**Shinigami****_ is like a member of the Grim Reaper corps.! She's become Death itself!_**

"Rukia! Look at me!" Ichigo tried to catch her attention as she stepped forward, hunching over as her skin turned a grayish color and her hair became a light purple.

"Grrargh..." She groaned, turning to him and smiling. She moved towards him and knelt down in front of him with her head bowed. Ichigo moved closer to place his hand on her, but was shocked as she shot her head up and punched him hard in the chin.

"Fuck!" He cursed, feeling the mask chip more and more away.

"_AAAAAAGH!_" Rukia screamed once more, her body glowing so bright Ichigo had to shield his eyes from the intensity of it.

_**Shit! She's materializin' her scythe!**_

"Her _what_?" Ichigo said, aghast as the light faded and he could see once again.

There, standing in front of him was Rukia. But now she was dressed in a tethered gray robe with bare feet and a grin splitting her face. In her hand was a large scythe, as The Mask had called, with a red blade and white handle and a spike on the bottom of the pole. That purple haze billowed from her mouth once more, and Ichigo had the sudden feeling of dread wash over him.

"Rukia...?" Ichigo stared up into the black eyes of the woman in front of him. Was this really her?

"Marvelous," Aizen's voice said from the other side of the room, his white form standing out against the contrast of the aura around them. The neon lights were flickering away from Rukia, crowding near Aizen like a bundle of children to their mother.

"Aizen! You bastard! What have you done to her?" Ichigo bellowed, anger surging through his body.

"I gave her new life, like I said I would." Aizen chuckled. "I did not say though, that she would be the same as before."

"You son of a-" Ichigo moved to slip past Rukia and attack Aizen, but she kicked out her leg and tripped Ichigo, a nasty sound coming from her that sounded eerily like a pleased giggle.

_**How come yer on the ground every three seconds!**_ The Mask roared.

"How come your mouth is open every _two_ seconds?" Ichigo retorted angrily, tired of The Mask's constant jeering.

"_It speaks to you,_" The voice that came out of Rukia's mouth was not just one voice, but a bunch of voices- male and female- all speaking at once. It shocked him as she spoke, and looked up as she stepped closer to him. "_It spins its lies to corrupt you._"

_**I have a bad rep it seems!**_ The Mask cackled.

"Rukia, please, stop this." Ichigo said, standing. He stared into her black eyes, a feeling of emptiness swelling inside of him. She had to still be in there, she just _had_ to.

"Rukia isn't here," Aizen said from his perch on the other side of the room. "At least, not prominently so."

"You shut the fuck up!" Ichigo bellowed, his voice edging along the line between shrill and demonic.

"_He is right,_" The woman in front of him said, the many voices somber. "_Rukia is within us, but is not in control of this body._" She said.

"Let her go!" Ichigo yelled, swiping to knock away the scythe from the woman who looked like Rukia's hand. He took her by the throat, careful to not dig his claws into her neck and lifted her high above him. "You will let her go right now or-"

The Rukia-look-alike kicked out into his chest and knocked him back, landing on her bare feet and reaching out for her scythe, which quivered on the ground then lifted itself and flew to her grasp. She grinned and charged, swinging her scythe's blade at Ichigo from below.

_**Weave!**_

Ichigo moved to the side just as the scythe flew through the space he just inhabited. He turned, raising his fist to strike, but she was faster in spinning around to vertically slash at him.

_**Duck!**_

He ducked under the blade, a few strands of his hair floating down to the ground as he jumped back and growled. How could he fight when she was so fast with that damn blade?

"_Your time has come, Mask demon._" The many voices said from Rukia's mouth and she was running at him again, her bare feet thumping loudly on the wooden floor as she swung the blade back and reared for an attack.

_**Take her head on!**_ The Mask instructed.

"What?" Ichigo barked as he braced for the attack.

_**Just do it shithead!**_

"Fuck!" Ichigo cursed as he did as told and charged the woman with his claws brandished. She swung her blade, but Ichigo was too close and was merely hit by the handle of the scythe. He used the shock of the woman to rack his claws along her shoulder, cutting open her robe and spraying blood through the air. She howled and jumped back to a distance away from him, clutching the wound on her shoulder.

_**You had a kill-shot right there!**_ The Mask berated.

"I'm not killing her!" Ichigo retorted. "I just have to stall..."

_**Stall for what?**_

"You're stalling for what?" Aizen echoed The Mask's inquiry. "She is hidden deep below the collective souls of the _Shinigami._ She won't come back unless the _Shinigami_ says so."

Ichigo looked from Aizen to the thing inhabiting Rukia's body. The _Shinigami_ was breathing heavily, the purple mist oozing from between her lips as a smoke engulfed her shoulder, the wounds closing and the blood seeping back into her body.

She stood, the wound healed and the only thing to show that it ever existed were the four tears in her robes.

"_Formidable,_" The _Shinigami_ said, grinning sickly with Rukia's bluing lips. The air was growing colder and colder as the woman lifted her scythe. "_You're powerful...I can feel your power radiating off of you. I may have to get serious to take you down._"

"Bitch!" Ichigo snarled, crouching. "Let Rukia go _now!_"

"_I cannot,_" She said. "_I need this body to rid the world of your evil._"

Ichigo snorted. "_I_ am not evil! Rukia and I are innocent goddammit! We had nothing to do with this paranormal shit until that bastard over there dragged us into it!" He pointed to Aizen, who waved pleasantly. "If anything you should kill _him!_"

_**Yeah! And make it gory!**_

"You need to shut the hell up!" Ichigo barked at The Mask, gripping the mask on his face. "I blame you as well for this crap!"

_**Woah, no need to get hostile there buddy!**_

"You stupid-" Ichigo was shouting when the _Shinigami_ spoke up.

"_You truly believe you are an innocent in this?_" She asked, raising a brow.

"What do you think?" He said, throwing his arms up. "I only came here because I wanted to ask Rukia to marry me! And now look! We're both damned!"

The _Shinigami_ watched him for a moment, those black eyes deep but empty. Finally, for the first time since her arrival, she turned and looked at the white cloaked figure of Aizen, whom looked back.

"_I sense evil in you, as well._" The _Shinigami_ said.

"Evil is but merely a concept of the mind." Aizen said.

"_You try to rationalize good and evil with science and theory. Evil is a product of one's actions, how one chooses to act with their existence. It is certain that the two you have trapped here are innocent and do not deserve my punishment._" She lifted her scythe in the direction of Aizen. "_You are the most deserving I have come across in a long time._"

Aizen chuckled. "You wish to challenge me?"

"_Indeed,_" She said. "_But..._" She turned back to Ichigo, who was listening intently. "_You are still corrupted by that demon on your face. I cannot let up this fight until it is destroyed._"

_**I'm startin' to really hate this bitch.**_

Ichigo frowned from behind the mask. "You still want to kill me, even though you acknowledge I'm not evil?"

"_You are not evil, yes, but The Mask is the embodiment of evil. You have been corrupted by its power, and have preformed actions befitting that of an evil man._" She said.

"Like what?" He yelled, clenching his clawed fists.

"_How many damned souls did you obliterate on your way here?_" She questioned.

Ichigo ground his teeth together. "You think I enjoyed that? You think I wanted to kill all of those things for the hell of it? No! I did it for Rukia!"

"_Do not lie,_" The _Shinigami_ said sternly. "_You _did_ enjoy it. You enjoy that power- the power to kill. You. Are. _Corrupted_._"

Ichigo was about to say something back when he found the words to just blow out of his mouth noiselessly. What could he say? She was right. He _did_ enjoy it, killing all of those damn things that took his Rukia from him, even if only a little. He enjoyed being able to exercise such abilities, because he felt as if no one could ever hurt him ever again.

He truly was corrupted.

_**Boy, don't go radio silent at a time like this!**_ The voice of The Mask said in his ear.

"You're right..." Ichigo said solemnly.

_**What, about not going-**_

"_Grrrrrgh!_ Would you _SHUT THE FUCK UP?_" Ichigo roared, punching the mask on his face to splinter it further with his own fist. The Mask gave a yelp of pain and stayed silent.

"_You harm yourself?_" The _Shinigami_ asked in surprise, her black eyes wide as she watched him stumble sightly as he felt his power waver and fade slightly from his body.

"Damn right I do," Ichigo breathed, steadying himself. "This power is disgusting, but I will admit to being a little addicted to it. But I have enough sense of myself to understand your point." He said, staring with his golden eyes the woman before him. "You want to kill me?"

She nodded.

"Fine," He said.

_**What?**_

"_You willingly give me your life?_" Again, the _Shinigami_ was shocked.

"Only on one condition," He said. "You let Rukia go. Then you can have me and this stupid mask."

_**Ichigo, be reasonable-**_

"I _am_ being reasonable."

The _Shinigami_ watched him for a moment, her black eyes unmoving but he could feel her gaze traveling along his body and face. She was studying him, testing his trustworthiness.

"_I can't_." She finally said.

Ichigo scowled. "Then I will have to fight you until you let her go."

The _Shinigami _grinned. "_Then fight me._" She said, lifting her scythe.

_**You scared me there, Ichigo!**_ The Mask said angrily.

"I don't care," He said. "Help me fight her."

_**How?**_

"She materialized a scythe, can you do the same?"

_**Materialize a weapon? Hell nnnnnnnn- yeah I can!**_

A black aura began to form in Ichigo's right hand, spiraling and solidifying until it stretched out into a long black blade with a starred hilt and chains rattling along its hilt. He felt all the power he had lost earlier return tenfold as the mask sealed the cracks and smoothed out to its original glory. Ichigo lifted the blade and stared at the sleek, black metal, gripping it tightly and swinging it swiftly through the air at the _Shinigami._

_**How's that?**_

"Perfect," Ichigo said.

The woman who looked like Rukia yelled out with her many voices and charged, swinging her scythe down at him. He blocked with his new blade and pushed her off, following to swing. She blocked with the handle of her scythe, the black blade chipping it slightly. She groaned under the pressure and pushed back, knocking him back a step.

Swinging again, the _Shinigami_ met Ichigo's blade with her own. They traded blows, parrying each other's strikes expertly and throwing the odd punch or kick into the midst of sparks that lighted the air as their blades met. She jumped back and threw the scythe directly at him, an action he responded with by ducking under it and turning to it just as she teleported to grab it and swing at him from above.

Dodging to let the blade sink into the wooden panel of the floor, Ichigo came up and smacked her hard with the chained hilt of his blade across the chin. She spun like a top to the floor, dropping the scythe that skidded to the other side of the room. Ichigo stood above her and placed the tip of his blade to her gray skinned throat.

"_Very good..._" The _Shinigami_ said admirably. "_You've not only bested me...but you've taken control of The Mask..._"

"What's that you said?" Ichigo rose a brow as he held the blade to her throat. "How have I taken control of it?"

_**She's full of shit, if you ask me.**_

"I didn't ask you," Ichigo snarled, to which The Mask responded with silence.

"_You commanded it to give you a sword to fight me with, and it did as told._" She said, pushing herself up slowly with her hands. She looked up at him, a look of admiration on her face. "_And with this blade you have defeated me._"

"Seems so," Ichigo said. "Now let Rukia go." He said sternly.

"_You know..._" The _Shinigami_ said, ignoring his request for the moment. "_I can feel her inside this body. I can feel her emotions swelling like an infection. I can feel her fear, her bravery, her sadness, her happiness, her love for you...almost as if it was my own..._"

"What are you saying?" Ichigo was confused.

The _Shinigami_ looked up at him, her eyes soft and her face tender. He rose a brow at this display, and dropped his guard for a split second. A split second she exploited.

The scythe lifted from across the room and flew towards them both. It spun, the handle smacking into Ichigo's legs and dropping him to the ground as the _Shinigami_ grasped it and stood over him, holding the blade by his neck just as he did to her not even a moment ago.

"_You are easily distracted,_" She said, grinning. "_You must work to get rid of this defect._"

Ichigo growled. "Fine! You win! Kill me!" He yelled. The _Shinigami_ faltered, the grin dropping from her face as she stared down at him. "What are you waiting for?" He shouted.

The Mask began to count his blessings in Ichigo's head. _**I've lived a long, fruitful life full of death, murder, and blood. I'm an extremely powerful demon who has instilled fear into the hearts of many. I'm really handsome. I have an awesome lookin' mask. I have a huge-**_

The _Shinigami _pulled back her blade and jammed the handle into the floor to stand it by her side. She stepped back, letting Ichigo go.

"What...?" He blinked, watching her with the utmost confusion. "What are you doing?"

"_Stand!_" The _Shinigami_ yelled.

Ichigo was on his feet in a heartbeat.

"_You have bested me, that still stands._" She began, frowning deeply at him. "_I will abide by your wishes, and give you back your beloved._"

_**Really?**_

"Really?" Ichigo echoed.

"_Yes, really._" She said, then smiled. "_You have proven yourself to be good enough to overcome The Mask's corruption._"

_**You guys keep makin' it seem like my corruption is a bad thing! I know a few ladies who seemed to have enjoyed my **_**corruption ****_quite well!_**

Ichigo ignored The Mask's idiocy and stared into the black eyes of the _Shinigami._

"I can have her back?" It almost seemed too good to be true.

"_Yes,_" She said, nodding. "_I shall return her to you._"

The _Shinigami_ began to float off the floor, her face leaning in to place a kiss to the closed teeth of Ichigo's mask. His eyes widened in shock as she closed her arms and leaned further in, as if he could kiss back. He felt something warm flood into him, rejuvenating him and filling with a strength beyond The Mask's.

_**What the fuck is happening?**_

Rukia's body began to glow, and suddenly her lips were off of Ichigo's mask and she was again standing on solid ground, her eyes still closed.

"R-Rukia?" Ichigo called out softly.

She opened her eyes slowly. Ichigo held his breath as he expected to see the black holes that had been there before, but instead saw the familiar violet of his girlfriend's eyes.

Those beautiful violet eyes scanned the area groggily until they landed on him. "...Ichigo?" Her voice was normal, with the one and only angelic inflection of her own voice.

"Rukia!" Ichigo wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, holding her against him as she wrapped her arms around him as well, burying her face into his chest as tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh my God...it's really you!"

"Ichigo..." She sobbed, her hands gripping his back as hot tears fell down her cheeks. "I was so scared...I thought I was dead when this light appeared and brought me here..."

"It's alright," He cooed. "I'm here, Rukia. It's alright."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes clean on his chest. "You saved me...I could see everything from that creature's eyes..."

"I couldn't leave you behind." He said, pulling back to stare into her eyes. She was stilled pale with a grayish tint, her hair a dark shade of purple and the tethered robes still flowing about her feet. "I wouldn't stop until I had you back..."

Rukia smiled brightly at him. "I know...I knew you'd save me."

Ichigo wished he could kiss her, but the mask was in the way. He was tempted to pull it off, but the voice of Aizen rang from across the room before he could implement the idea.

"Touching," He said.

Both turned to the man who caused all of this as he stepped forward. "This truly is a touching sight to behold. But, I am growing bored. I have but little time left until I am complete, so for that time you must entertain me." He said, his eyes glowing devilishly.

"You did this to us!" Rukia bellowed, her eyes flashing black for a split second as her rage overcame her. She suddenly groaned, clutching at her head as something ailed her.

"Rukia? What's wrong?"

"The _Shinigami_ is still inside of her." Aizen said, watching her closely.

"I can hear her..." Rukia said, holding her head in her hands. "She's telling me to kill him." She looked to Aizen with a glare.

"Then try, little girl." Aizen taunted.

"I will!" Rukia barked, lifting her hand to grab the scythe that stood erect by their side. She yanked it out of the wood paneling and made a dash for the cloaked man hiding in the shadows.

"Rukia! Wait!"

_**I like her already!**_

Rukia swung the scythe in a wide arc, her body moving by pure instinct as the blade came down on Aizen's head, piercing the white coating and cracking his face. She dug it as deep as she could, growling as Aizen merely chuckled.

"Foolish girl, your blade can't-"

At that moment Ichigo came with his sword and moved to pierce directly through the Hogyoku in Aizen's chest. The man's eyes widened a fraction and he was barely able to move in time before Ichigo's strike hit true.

Rukia tried to force her blade down through his skull, but to no avail. Aizen narrowed his eyes at her and, with speed beyond her comprehension, yanked the blade out and tossed her across the room in the same manner he had done to Ichigo earlier.

"Rukia!" Ichigo called to her. Aizen used this distraction to come up from behind and hit him in the back of the head, knocking him hard to the ground. His blade dropped and skidded just out of his reach, the mask yet again cracking.

_**That really hurts!**_ The Mask groaned.

"You insolent little fools!" Aizen raged, taking Ichigo and flipping him over to lay on his back. He stood over him, glaring as the wound in his head sealed up. "You almost had me. I do not like that." He growled. "I think you've run out of ways to entertain me. So it is time to die."

Aizen reached down to Ichigo's face, gripping the top of the mask.

_**No!**_

Pain flooded Ichigo's veins as Aizen began to pull away the red stripped mask from his face. Heat spread over Ichigo's body as the mask chipped and cracked, splintering as Aizen pulled. The horns on his head snapped off and fell to the ground, the gnashing teeth of the mask breaking one by one as Aizen gave a triumphant howl. He yanked hard, and Ichigo felt his whole face pull forward as the mask came off.

"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed.

Steam began to billow from Ichigo's body as he gasped in pain. He could feel his bones render, his muscles shrink and his power drain from him. He was returning to normal, and it hurt.

"That takes care of him..." Aizen said, switching his gaze from the writhing Ichigo to the horror-stricken Rukia. "Next." He said menacingly.

Rukia's eyes widened as he drew closer. The voice of the _Shinigami _told her to move, but she felt paralyzed by the sight of Ichigo smoking on the floor, his skin changing back to its familiar tan and his hair falling out in clumps to return to its original short and spiky state.

"Ichigo..." Rukia whispered, turning back to Aizen who was now in front of her. She clenched her fist and stood to throw a punch, but Aizen caught it and chuckled.

"Seems both of you never learn." He said, holding her hand in his grasp.

"Bastard..." Rukia said, her eyes glaring intensely into his own. He raised her hand to call to her scythe, but Aizen smacked her across the face before she could and the scythe lay motionless by her feet.

"The two of you are done entertaining me. I am complete." He said, his face cracking around the mouth. It chipped away, opening until Rukia could see a row of nasty, terrible fangs dripping spittle. Black lips opened and took in a breath as the cracks spread across Aizen's body, falling to the floor to reveal his new form.

"Finally..." He said as he shed his skin. "I am going to be Go-"

He was silenced as Ichigo came from behind, shirtless and doused in sweat and blood, taking the black sword The Mask gave him and driving it through Aizen's chest- through the Hogyoku. The blade sliced true, shattering the orb in Aizen's chest into a million little pieces before his transformation could be complete.

Aizen gave a shrill scream, the sound so loud that both Ichigo and Rukia had to cover their ears. Aizen twisted and turned, fighting to grab the blade that protruded from his chest. Blood began to squirt from the wound, his throat closing up as the healing powers of the Hogyoku was no longer with him.

"_NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!_" Aizen wailed, falling to his knees.

"It's happening," Ichigo panted as he ran and grabbed the hilt of the sword. He yanked hard, pulling it clean out of the man's chest; a trail of blood following the blade.

Aizen screamed out in pain and held his chest, the white cloak falling away in pieces, but instead of a new form to be revealed underneath his original human appearance emerged; disheveled and distressed.

"No..." He panted, holding his wound which was bleeding profoundly, dripping through his fingers to the floor.

"We win," Ichigo said, walking around Aizen to stand in front of him, Rukia standing by his side with her scythe now held tightly in her hands.

"You can't!" Aizen yelled, coughing up blood.

"We already did." Rukia said, stepping by Ichigo to lift her blade. "I'm going to reap your soul, Aizen Sousuke."

"You...you can't!" Aizen snarled defiantly. "Y-you're...not a _Shinigami!_"

"Thanks to you," Rukia said, letting her blade glint in the light. "I am now."

Rukia swung as hard as she could, bringing the scythe down to behead Aizen with one, clean swipe.

The room exploded with noise, the purple aura coating the room shifting rapidly as it converged and sunk into the twitching and quickly dying body of Aizen Sousuke. Aizen's body convulsed, his skin turning the same shade of purple and his clothes burning. His head's mouth opened and closed, trying to gasp for breath with lungs it didn't have any more.

Rukia breathed in, a sudden relief washing over her as the _Shinigami_ inside of her was pleased.

"That was..." Ichigo panted. "...crazy."

Rukia turned to him, nodding. "Yeah..."

Ichigo dropped the bloody blade and engulfed Rukia in a tight hug, pulling her into his chest as he closed his eyes and relished having her back.

"I went through hell to get you back..." Ichigo whispered as she hugged him back.

Rukia gripped him tightly in her arms, burying her face into his chest. "I'm...so sorry." She said, holding back her tears. "I should have listened to you...we shouldn't have come..."

"No," Ichigo shushed her. "It's fine. We're together again, it's all alright."

"Ichigo..." Rukia said. "I...can still feel the _Shinigami_ inside of me..."

Ichigo pulled back, frowning softly. "Why didn't she go?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know."

He sighed, cupping her face. "It doesn't matter...it's over now." He pulled her close and, with his face now free of the mask that had blocked him before, kissed her deeply.

They held each other tightly, their lips locked for what was a blissful few minutes. When they finally pulled back for air, Ichigo watched as her eyes flickered from between those black pools to her normal violet.

"Rukia?" He blinked in confusion.

"Don't worry," Rukia said, giggling lightly. "I think the _Shinigami_ has a little crush on you."

Ichigo stared, surprised. "Really now?" He grinned playfully.

She giggled more, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing her forehead to his. "I love you Ichigo."

He smiled, looking into her eyes, noticing the slight black that hung around her irises. "I love you too, Rukia."

"Is _he_ gone?" She asked as they interlocked their fingers together and began to walk out of the deranged mansion.

Ichigo was silent for a moment, staring on down the hall they walked through. "I'm...not sure."

"Can you feel him?"

He slowly nodded his head. "I can feel him, but barely."

Rukia looked up at him. "Do you think we should worry?"

This time he shook his head to the negative. "Right now...I only want to worry about getting home and taking a damn shower."

Rukia smiled at him lightly, but he could tell she was worried about him. She shouldn't be though, because Ichigo knew that he'd be able to handle himself. Because he had her back, and that's all that matters.

* * *

><p><strong>What ya think? I hope you guys liked, because I really put a lot of effort into this! I honestly wanted to scrap it a hundred times, but the fact that Mels wanted it done I pushed and did it! And now I'm really proud of it! It came out well!<strong>

**Well, seems I may win, huh Kuiin? Muhahaha!**

**On another note, I really recommend this game! It's so freakin' AWESOME! I was playing the last level and I suddenly had this idea to write it with Ichigo going after Rukia with Hichigo talking to him as The Mask. **

**Remember guys to...**

**REVIEW!**


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